Bridge threatens to collapse near Minnesota dam breach; officials helpless

After the 114-year-old Rapidan Dam in Minnesota collapsed on the 24th of last month, the Blue Earth River surged, destroying everything near the breach and endangering the structure of the nearby County Road 9 Bridge. Officials said the bridge was in danger of collapse, but they were powerless to do anything. Heavy rains in the Midwest in recent days have put the Blue Earth River flooding to the test of the bridge’s endurance. Although the dam has stabilized, whether the bridge pillars can hold up remains a major concern. If God doesn’t favor us, this 40-year-old bridge connecting the surrounding countryside and cities could collapse at any time. Ryan Thilges, director of the Blue Earth County Public Works Department, said, “Unfortunately, we have to see if Mother Nature favors us at this moment. We are very worried that the bridge may partially or completely collapse.” He stood on the hill east of the Rapidan Dam near Mankato, accompanying Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and other officials to inspect the flood disaster and conceive a recovery plan. They watched the dam and bridge with trepidation, because the still-rising river had already changed the local landscape. “The concern is whether the bridge structure needs to be replaced after being damaged by the flood,” Waltz said. The floodwaters carved new channels around the dam, penetrated the steep riverbank, knocked down electric poles, destroyed the substation, submerged a house, and forced a shop that everyone frequented to move. The flooding was so severe that officials could not get close to the bridge for a close inspection, but from a distance, they could see the general situation of the bridge’s damage. The rushing river water rolled up a lot of silt and rocks, hitting the bridge piers standing on the sandy soil base of the riverbed, and the bridge piers seemed a little unstable. Although the engineers have stabilized at least one bridge pier, they are indeed helpless for the others. Even worse, the river brought a large number of trees on the 30th. These dry trees are victims of the drought weather in the past few years. Some of them rushed directly to the bridge deck, and some hung around the bridge piers. The county government could not find a contractor who could safely remove them, said Schirgis. He said, “No company is willing to send workers to risk their lives to push these tree trunks and branches away.” The recent floods have caused millions of dollars in damage to bridges, homes and roads in Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota and other places. The Labidan Dam, which was originally built to generate electricity, has attracted attention because it is at risk of collapsing at any time.